Work has started to clear the duckweed on Queen's Park Lake after extreme weather crashed the oxygen levels in the lake, which killed the fish.

The Parish Council is currently working with an aquatic management company to improve the water conditions at Queen's Park.

Earlier this year there was a loss of aqua life in Queen’s Park Lake because of a dramatic drop in oxygen levels, as well as the emergence of duckweed on the lake.

The work taking place aims to tackle these issues.

Swindon Advertiser: South Swindon Parish CouncilSouth Swindon Parish Council (Image: South Swindon Parish Council)

On Monday, a specialist tracking boat was used to remove the duckweed from the water.

Other planned works include the removal of dead low-lying branches and other debris from the pond's edge, along with silt treatment which will reduce sludge build-up and the chances of blue/green algae and other algae blooms.

This treatment is environmentally friendly and works by decomposing organic matter in the sludge. This is a long-term solution that should see significant reductions in built up silt and a reduction in the extremely high phosphate levels in the lake.

At the beginning of September, a new aerator was installed in the lake.

The aerator turns over 165,000 litres of water every hour to oxygenate the lake. 

This was because oxygen levels crashed in Queen's Park Lake in August because of the "unprecedented hot and dry weather".